Being a fairly common disease of the veins and arteries, varicose veins are accompanied by characteristic manifestations that allow you to diagnose the disease in a timely manner and prevent its aggravation. There are certain stages of varicose veins, which are accompanied by certain symptoms and can become indicators of both the abandonment of the pathological process and the opportunity to identify current changes.
However, phlebologists today do not have a consensus on the isolation of the stages of the disease, since the discharge of manifestations and their characteristic course are not constant values: each case has its own characteristics of the manifestation and course of this disease, and against on the background of parallel current injuries of the body, there is a high probability of manifestations of lubrication, which can interfere with a correct diagnosis.
The main parameters for determining the stage of varicose veins
The stages of varicose veins are usually formed depending on the set of certain manifestations that characterize the degree of neglect of the current pathological process, as well as their effect on the patient's body as a whole. Classification of the manifestation of this disease is the simplest method of preliminary diagnosis and determination of the treatment scheme.
To determine the stage of this disease, an answer should be given to a number of specific questions that will allow to understand the existing symptoms and, with their help, determine the degree of aggravation of the process, which largely determines the possibilities of treatment .
These problems include:
- the presence of characteristic manifestations of varicose veins and the degree of their manifestation;
- location and strength of symptoms;
- the presence of external manifestations of changes in the state of the veins and large arteries;
- identification of concomitant manifestations that worsen the patient's condition.
However, even without a detailed diagnosis by a phlebologist, during an external examination of the patient, it is possible to make a preliminary diagnosis, which will allow to draw up a scheme of therapeutic effects and, depending on the individual specific characteristics of the patient's body, the presence of concomitant ongoing diseases and the susceptibility to ongoing exposure make some adjustments to the treatment. It is important in the course of diagnosing the patient's condition to determine what types of varicose veins occur, their location and the degree of neglect of the pathological process.
Most often, varicose veins affect the lower limbs, since it is this area of the human body that receives the most significant loads. At the same time, not everyone is aware of this load on the legs and does not protect them even in the presence of a number of manifestations that signal the need for a more attentive attitude to the limbs and veins. Therefore, to understand how the stages of varicose veins differ, it is necessary to get at least general ideas about the manifestations of this pathology, which is distinguished by its severity and great dangers to the health of the legs and the human body as a whole.
The specifics of the classification of varicose veins
The stages of varicose veins can differ in the shape and location of the current pathological process in the veins. This approach is more convenient for understanding the degree of neglect of the disease, and also allows you to determine the cause of the onset, which will first eliminate the current manifestations of this condition and characteristic symptoms.
Types of varicose veins differ in several specific parameters. The use of a certain classification makes it possible to determine the belonging of an existing disease to a group, which facilitates further diagnosis and the choice of a treatment system. The modern classification based on the location of the main nodes of varicose veins is as follows:
- Varicose veins located in the superficial layer of the skin and deep veins, while the external manifestations are characterized by segmentation: changes in the state of the veins are noted only in a certain area of the veins.
- Varicose veins of superficial and perforating veins, which is also noticeable in some segments of the skin.
- Changes in the condition of the veins, in which varicose enlargement and pathological changes of the superficial veins are diagnosed in an unexpressed form, reflux.
- Varicose veins, noted in the deep veins, the development of reflux.
The presence of reflux indicates the presence of a certain pathology, since with reflux the blood flows in the opposite direction. This phenomenon usually aggravates the pathological process of venous changes, stimulating the aggravation of varicose veins, followed by the coverage of an increasingly large area of veins and arteries. All types of varicose veins can have signs of reflux, which is already a certain pathology and requires medical intervention.
Understanding the severity of the disease allows you to start treatment in a timely manner, since even the initial stage of the process, which has a relatively small number of external manifestations, is dangerous for the health of the legs. Varicose veins of the 1st degree can be practically asymptomatic, but this does not mean that it is not necessary to treat the disease.
An external examination of the affected veins with altered veins will allow the specialist to approximately determine the probable cause of this disease. However, to clarify the diagnosis, it is necessary to undergo a full range of diagnostic procedures that make it possible to establish the degree of prevalence of the autologous process, as well as to correct the intended therapeutic effect in order to obtain the most pronounced and long-lasting positive results . The classification will help to make a diagnosis in accordance with the external manifestations of the disease, as well as to determine the system of therapeutic effects.
Classification based on the degree of aggravation
Today, the generally accepted method of classification should be considered a variant that divides the course of the disease into certain stages. Each of them has characteristic manifestations, with the onset of the next stage, a greater degree and strength of symptoms is noted, a large prevalence of the affected area.
The classification of the disease, which is carried out according to the degree of neglect, is as follows:
- initial stage of varicose veins - at the initial stage of the pathological process, there is a gradual accumulation of characteristic manifestations of the disease, which are not always noticed by the patient. This phase is often called latent: a person can erase the unpleasant sensations after a whole day spent on his feet from elementary fatigue, the presence of a little excess weight. If, however, to the listed factors we add the child's waiting period, heredity (if there is at least one close relative with existing varicose veins, one can safely assume one's own tendency to develop this disease in oneself), then yes can ignore the pathological changes manifested in the veins of the lower extremities for a long time;
- the first stage is already characterized by such manifestations as periodic numbness of the legs (especially with prolonged preservation of a standing and standing position), pain in some parts of the legs, a feeling of tension in the legs and veins due to the deterioration of the quality of the process of blood circulation, the veins at the same time expand and a strong tension. Externally, the first stage of the disease is manifested in the appearance of small areas with visible veins and blood vessels, which can disturb the patient when pressing on such an area;
- 2nd degree varicose veins can have the following characteristic manifestations:
- pain becomes more pronounced, increases by the end of the day;
- on the skin appear bruises and areas with altered veins and capillaries, visible even to the naked eye;
- the degree of injury is increased, which is revealed by an increase in the area of the lesion.
- 3rd degree varicose veins are less treatable. All characteristic symptoms are aggravated, the pain becomes more severe, and the affected area covers most of the leg. The condition and color of the skin of the legs change: they acquire a darker shade, the skin itself becomes an unhealthy structure, more and more like dead skin. At this stage, varicose veins almost always require surgery, as there is a high risk of a thrombus developing and separating from the vessel wall, which can obstruct the vessel lumen and lead to serious consequences in the form of limb risk amputation. The third stage is the most dangerous due to the high probability of concomitant negative manifestations during treatment.
At the second degree of this pathological process, there is a strong heaviness in the legs, a feeling of bursting of veins and skin, so-called goosebumps may appear on the legs and in the popliteal region, which is not associated with external factors. 2nd degree varicose veins are still treatable; in the later stages, the worsening process of the disease proceeds at ever faster rates and affects more and more areas of the lower limbs, while the treatment process is difficult and does not always give positive results;
There are also capillary varicose veins, in which small blood vessels receive a load, the quality of blood circulation gradually deteriorates, characteristic signs appear in the form of increased fatigue of the limbs, the appearance of swelling of the affected tissues and a change in color of the skin at the injury site.
Varicose veins have stages that gradually turn into more complicated ones, while the method of treatment is determined both by the localization of the lesion site and by the subjective manifestations of the disease. Anyone who has noticed at least one of the signs of this formidable disease should remember that the probability of the disease transitioning in a short time to a deeper stage and a significant deterioration in the health of the lower extremities is high. In addition, in the absence of the necessary treatment, the patient can become disabled - as shown by medical statistics, this takes on average about 11 years from the moment the first characteristic manifestations of the disease appear.
Why is treatment needed?
Varicose veins of the lower limbs, or VBNK, accompanied by a gradual deterioration of blood circulation, the appearance of deeper and deeper symptoms, require an immediate medical response. When detecting varicose veins of the lower extremities, a more detailed diagnosis of veins and blood vessels is performed, the degree of neglect of the process is determined.
The disease of the lower limbs needs treatment due to the rapid aggravation of the current pathological process, which affects more and more areas. The likelihood of remaining disabled is high, especially in old age, when there is a general suppression of basic body functions and a decrease in the degree of resistance to disease. And in the presence of concomitant injuries, the treatment of varicose veins on the legs is even more difficult.
Since the disease is characterized by various types (or stages), which differ in the degree of aggravation of the pathological process, treatment should be carried out according to the results of the diagnostics performed, as well as taking into account the individual characteristics of the organism.